Caesarstone Student Designer Competition: From Ashes We Rise

Caesarstone invites South Africa’s design institutions and universities to participate in the annual Student Designer Competition (SDC). We are now in our 14^th year and cannot wait to see what the 2022 entrants have to offer. With just under a month before entries close – the anticipation is building!

From Ashes We Rise

The vision behind this year’s brief came from the talented Mokena Makeka and we are thrilled to welcome him as a guest judge on this year’s panel. The Caesarstone SDC’s closing date for entries is 23 September 2022. It has become well-known for creating job opportunities for the winners and finalists, as industry professionals recognise the competition as the ideal opportunity to headhunt for young design talent. Here’s the brief to download: https://bit.ly/StudentDesigner

Prizes Worth R100K!

The top 9 Finalists and their lecturers will be flown-in to attend an exciting awards evening later this year at a snazzy location where the top 3 winners will be announced. The winner and their lecturer will be sent on an all-expenses-paid trip to an international design fare of their choice, courtesy of Caesarstone worth R100K. The runner up will receive R15K, while the second runner up will receive R5K. Regardless of who placed in the top 3, all top 9 finalists will also be eligible for the ‘Best Presentation’ award, which comes with a R7,5K prize.

2022 Judging Panel

Every year, design industry heavyweights come together to judge the Caesarstone SDC. The entire judging process is anonymous – allowing only the best of the best to come out on top. We are thrilled to welcome the 2022 panel, who are ready to tackle the exciting task of finding South Africa’s best young designers…

STEFAN ANTONI

Regarded as one of the architects who have contributed to setting a new standard of design and professionalism in South Africa, Stefan Antoni, is one of the most formidable and decorated architects in South Africa. Together with his partners and colleagues at SAOTA, he has continued to stretch the boundaries of creative design for the most discerning of clients.

SAOTA is a leading firm of architects that champions an innovative and dedicated approach to the design, documentation, and execution of projects globally, resulting in SAOTA becoming an internationally sought-after brand.

JULIET KAVISHE

Juliet Kavishe is a Director and a Professional Interior Architect Member of the African Institute of the Interior Design Professions (IID). Over the course of a global career spanning 13 years, Juliet has worked as an Interior Architect on projects with a focus on high-end residential homes and commercial and corporate workspaces.

Her upbringing in several countries, as well as her extensive travels in later years, have inspired Juliet to create spaces influenced by her global citizenship, some of which can be seen in publications such as SA Décor & Design, Designing Ways, Africanism, and Archdaily.

MICHELE RHODA

Michele Rhoda is one of the directors of the award-winning international firm ARRCC, which is an acclaimed interior design and decor studio based in Cape Town. She believes that a strong work ethic and the ability to earn trust with her clients is paramount to the success of their designs.

Michele is known for creating beauty and balance in interior architecture. Maintaining a sensitivity toward the context and environment of her projects, it is her consistent focus on human connection that has elevated her design reputation in the interior design industry.

JONATHAN ANSTEY

Managing Director of Anstey Architects, Jonathan Anstey has been in the architectural industry for over two decades – having designed numerous projects throughout his career.

Drawing inspiration from nature, Jonathan encourages students that ‘unique and inspired design can only be achieved through closing your eyes to trend, your ears to fashion, and your heart to fear.’ At Anstey Architects, they believe that every project is a unique opportunity to celebrate excellence.

DOROTHY VAN’T RIET

Internationally renowned interior design guru, Dorothy van’t Riet is the founder and principal designer at DVR Design & Decor Consultants. Dorothy has steered the company from a modest start to a position of strength in the competitive global design industry.

Dorothy draws on her love of colour, lines, form, shapes, texture, and space to create soul-filled designs that speak to all five senses. She has produced numerous award-winning, luxurious interiors across Africa, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom.

MOKENA MAKEKA

As this year’s author of the competition brief, we are thrilled to welcome Mokena Makeka onto our judging panel. He is a multi-award-winning architect and design strategist, as well as a sought-after speaker and thought leader on African cities, design, social and spatial practices, and demographic change.

As the founder of DESIGNWORKS – a revolutionary architecture practice in the built environment, Mokena Makeka has now created a new global strategic design consultancy that’s anchored on almost two decades of award-winning design and is focused on rapidly creating a better world for all.

Looking back on last year’s awards…

Due to COVID, the 2020 and 2021 entries were brought together in an incredible display of creativity, ingenuity, and bold design. The judging panel loved seeing all the ideas, and definitely had their work cut out for them in picking the top 9 finalists. After a lot of discussion, they had the worthy student designers. This is how judging day went down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPYD2EEFqZQ]

Want to read all about it? Here’s the blog: https://bit.ly/JudgingDayBlog

Next up was the much-anticipated awards evening, which celebrated the top 9 finalists amongst the design industry. The winners were announced, and everyone got to experience each other’s designs and sense of creativity. Missed it? You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRePCckpuQM]

Caesarstone also documented this great evening in a blog. Read here: https://bit.ly/AwardsCeremonyBlog

For more information on the Caesarstone Student Designer Awards visit the Caesarstone website [https://bit.ly/StudentDesigner]  and follow the journey on Facebook [https://bit.ly/SDCFBPage].